"You know, my houseman was absolutely confused and asked what and how he is expected to teach. Since I was in a hurry, I just told him to do whatever he likes and feels appropriate. I really feel sorry for my house officer."
At the back of the conference hall, I smiled and shook my head.
Although I am sure our professor of surgery meant good, I could not agree with the presumption that he could give a better tutorial than his house officer.
Oh, don't get me wrong. If it was a session on some topics about surgery or anatomy, there is little doubt than PL is way better. However, when it comes to the technique of getting an informed consent from patients (and most likely one for a bedside procedure or minor operation), the situation is entirely different. Just consider this: Who is usually responsible for getting a consent for hernia repair? The house officer, or the professor?
And that's a general principle: We do not need the most senior professor to do all the teaching. In fact, that's not only a waste of effort, but a mismatch of expertise.
Front line clinical tasks are best taught by (good) front line doctors.
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